Retiring…not so fast

I retired from the USAF in 2010 and have worked for an aerospace defense company for the past five years.  We are now at the point where I would like to go into semi-retirement.  What is semi-retirement?  Well, I see it as I have control of my scheduled and can take short-term jobs that interest me.  So, I gave the company my notice and told them I would finish up a project I have been working for 3 years and my last day would be 12 Nov.  We worked out a plan where I would attend the Annual Air Traffic Control Association (ATCA) conference in National Harbor, MD (across the river from Washington, DC.) then return to California to out-process the company.  Pattie, seeing an opportunity to visit friends and her hairstylist in Maryland, jumped at the chance to join me.

We pulled the slides in, turned off the water to the coach, and left it hooked up in Valencia Travel Village while we flew to Washington, DC.  The conference was at the Gaylord Convention Center and we were able to enjoy the newly developed National Harbor area.  They have one of those giant Ferris wheels there, so we rode that one evening after dinner.

The conference went well and we were able to see old friends and attend our home church in Dunkirk, MD on Sunday. The return flight was delayed and a 12-hour day of travel turned in to 20 hours.  Pattie said it was confirmation that it is time to retire and I agreed.  My company friends treated me to a retirement lunch and all was going as planned until the program I have been working on was extended to early December.  I guess it is the military ethos that says you don’t leave in the middle of a fight especially one you started that made me say yes, I will stay on until it is finished.  However, I asked to be able to work remote as we already made plans to be in Alabama for Thanksgiving.  They agreed and we rolled out of California on 13 Nov. 

The Bus ran great and we spent the first night in Quartzite, AZ.  Quartzite is know for the largest annual flea market and RV gathering the world which occurs in January.  We just did a quick overnight and noted that we may return for that event one day.  The following day we arrived in Prescott, AZ and visited Jeff and Patt Parker our Maryland friends who have retired there.  They gave us the grand tour of Prescott and we had dinner on Whisky Row in an old saloon with a shady history. 

Now in California, it had begun to get cold enough to need heat in the early morning.  We used the heat elements in the roof top A/C units and that was sufficient.  In Prescott, it was in the mid-20s to 30s in the morning with some snow.  No problem since The Bus is equipped with AquaHot that will provide endless hot water and heat the interior and lower storage compartment…when it works.  We had been using hot water, so I thought all was good until I switched it to heat. No heat.  We ran to Wal-Mart and bought two small space heaters to get us through the night.  I sought advice from numerous forum experts and a local technician who did not have time to come check on it.  I worked half a day checking power to pumps and beating on anything that looked like it might need beating on, but no joy.  Time to head to warmer weather and find a qualified tech to service this unit.  Next stop, Oklahoma City.

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RV tip – Disable the your automobile horn chirp when remote locking to keep the campground quiet. 

Working from The Bus

We spent the last few days of September visiting my nephew Nathan who is stationed at FE Warren AFB, WY.  He is a Missile Field Chef serving in the USAF and it was great to see him and spend a day touring Cheyenne, WY. 

We departed Cheyenne and headed toward Castaic, CA stopping one night at a Wal-Mart south of Salt Lake City one night and at Nellis AFB, NV the second night.  Along the way The Bus’ engine began to skip and loose power on the hills.  Pattie located a Freightliner service center along our route and we called ahead asking for a quick service call.  They got us in the shop about an hour after arriving and hooked up their diagnostics computer that read reports of low fuel pressure events.  I told them we had run low on fuel and stopped at a small fueling station in Wyoming that looked sketchy.  They changed both fuel filters and we took it on a test drive.  The engine pulled strong and we believe it fixed the problem.  Glad to have an easy $100 fix, we proceeded on with no further problems.  When we crossed in to California, I spotted a new truck wash and pulled right in.  The crew there washed The Bus, our TOAD Jeep and even our bikes on the rack.  It was nice to see The Bus shiny and clean again.

On 1 Oct, we arrived at the Valencia Travel Village in Castaic, CA and set up for a long-term stay paying for a month in advance. Each day I drive a rental car to work in Van Nuys, CA and leave the Jeep for Pattie to run errands and such.  Our little home on wheels is comfortable and it is great to be together while I work a major project for the company.  On the weekends, we explore the local area and visit with friends.  One evening we had Dave (a former co-worker now retired) and Becky over to The Bus for dinner.  This was our first time entertaining in The Bus and it was cozy with some great steaks, wine and wonderful cake Becky brought us. 

One Friday evening we drove to Venture to see the sunset and have dinner.  The next day, we went to Big Bear Lake and road our bikes on the trails. 

The next weekend, we joined a group of friends at Calvary Community Church in Westlake, CA for a Tim Hawkins concert.  We had a wonderful dinner and a great evening.  The next day, Pattie and I drove the Jeep up to Sequoia National Park to do some hiking and saw the largest tree in the world.  

We departed heading west and a black bear crossed the road in front of us so close I had to slam on brakes to keep from hitting it.  As we headed down the mountain, we stopped at an overlook and just sat watching the sun go down over the mountain.  It was so quiet and God was showing off His creation just for us. 

Thanks for following our adventures….more stories to follow.

Glimpsing the Dream

Pattie and I flew back from LA to Atlanta after convincing my boss that I would split the travel cost of driving my RV across country so I could return and finish out a major project while living in the RV.  We had been planning a vacation to Deadwood, SD to attend the Black Hills Jeep Jamboree; so, we were headed that way anyway.  After a night in Auburn to check The Bus systems and have dinner with our sons, we headed out.   The first two nights we stayed in campgrounds and began to question why we are paying for full hook-up sites when we are simply stopping, having dinner and sleeping.  The third night we decided to try boondocking in the Sioux Falls, SD Wal-Mart parking lot.  We received permission from the manager and leveled the coach on ramps rather than using the auto leveling system which can hard asphalt.  Sweet.  On Wednesday, we rolled into Whistler Gulch Campground in Deadwood, SD and setup for a six-night stay. 

We took it easy Thursday getting use to the altitude and touring Leed, SD learning about the gold mining operations that occurred there.  Thursday evening 120 Jeeps rooled in to town ot register for trail rides.  Jeep Jamboree is a family event with trails for the novice all the way to extreme built rigs, but they must be Jeep vehicles. 

We selected a medium trail for Friday and the weather was perfect as we pulled out and headed into the mountains. 

The trails were challenging enough for our mostly stock Wrangler Rubicon and allowed me to practice my driving skills.

On Saturday, we took a less challenging trail and I let Pattie drive so she could practice her skills.

On Sunday, we made a trip down to Mount Rushmore and toured around the area seeing the Needles rock formations and wildlife.

On Monday, we headed down to Badlands national Park and drove the Loop Road.  Although it was overcast, we were amazed at the landscape.  We had lunch in Wall, SD and spent a couple hours in the Wounded Knee Museum.  Sobering description of the massacre that occurred there.  On our way back, we stopped by Rapid City to see some friends who have settled there.  Kelsey and Sue have two beautiful children and a nice home.  We ate Elk over bowtie pasta.  Yummy. 

On Tuesday we took off for Cheyenne, WY to visit my Nephew Nathan who is stationed at F.E. Warren AFB.

So far, this trip has given us our first glimpse at the life style we are hoping for as full time RV’ers.  It is a different feeling to see others arrive in campgrounds for a weekend and afterward pack to leave to get back to their homes/jobs knowing that we are at home and can stay a few more days if we feel like it. 

Heading West by Going East

After several days visiting Auburn and having Sparky examined, Pattie and I headed over to Stone Mountain, GA for a couple weeks.  We needed to recon a couple places near Atlanta, so we can visit Pattie’s family who live in Atlanta.  We stayed in the excellent Stone Mountain State Park campground.  It doesn’t get much better than this setting with lake front lots, groomed sites, and entertainment of all types. 

There are several trails around the park to bike and hike including to the top of the mountain.  There is also a cable car lift for those less athletic.  We purchased tickets for the Duck Ride since Pattie had never been on one before.  The Duck is an amphibious military surplus vehicle that they drive from land into the lake and give you a tour of the facilities and history in the area.  On Saturday night, we went to the laser show that is projected against the carvings on Stone Mountain.  It is free and incorporates digital video as well as lasers in an entertaining presentation.  It was a wonderful day and we headed back to The Bus about 10:30pm. 

When we got back to The Bus, Sparky was ready to go for a walk.  We had checked on her several times during the day and noticed she was having trouble urinating.  Unfortunately, she could no longer urinate and after consultations with the emergency vets locally and back at Auburn; it was time.  We bundled her up and took her to the emergency vet nearby, gave her some Conecuh sausage that we always shared, and eased her into that final sleep.  Our hearts were broken, but we are thankful the Lord gave us 13 years with her to enjoy each other’s company.  Having been full-time for a little over two months at this point, we had developed our routine with Sparky.  It does add to the logistics and constrains your schedule to have a pet along for the ride.  However, once you get accustomed to it; it is hard to adjust to a loved one no longer with you. 

During the week, I work from The Bus when away from my Huntsville, AL office.  The following week, a large project that I am the lead for and have been working on for 5 years was ready to enter the proposal phase.  This requires my full team participation in California for a couple months.  I flew to Los Angles for the first week leaving Pattie to visit family in Atlanta.  We hatched a plan to put The Bus in storage and fly her to CA.  So, I flew back over a weekend and we dropped the cat (yes, it has a name.  Katy, and no we don’t get along) off with our sons, put The Bus in storage, and flew back to CA together. 

This is the first time since I have been working for this company that Pattie has been able to join me in CA.  We are enjoying our time together seeing the sites, watching football with the local Auburn Club, and hanging out with friends that I work with or know in the area. 

We also took time to take the Warner Brothers Studio Tour and visit the Ronald Reagan Museum.  Both were well worth the effort.

We are enjoying the amenities of the Residence Inn in Burbank, CA and all the restaurants within walking distance.  However, it isn’t home.  So, we are researching campgrounds close enough to my work where we could bring The Bus out and live in it to complete this project.  So far, the pickings are slim unless I want to subject myself to an hour plus commute in LA traffic each day. 

Thanks for following our blog.

You know you are a full-time RV’r when:  You see a new coffee cup you want and realize that if you buy it, you will need to throw away one you already own. 

Praises in the Storm

The musical group Casting Crowns sings a song titled “Praise You in This Storm” which comes to mind as I prepare this month’s blog.  Pattie and I have been on the move since we began our full-time RV adventure. “Well, duh. It’s a RV and you are suppose to travel.”  Yeah, but our moving about has been more out of obligations than adventure seeking.  In the last blog, we left Red Bay, AL and headed to Tombigbee State Park outside of Tupelo, MS after having work done to fix a pesky roof leak and make some upgrades.  The residential refrigerator is doing its thing with no drama and the TV/BlueRay system is quite nice.   The roof leak has weathered a couple storms, but we are keeping an eye on it.  The Tombigbee State Park was the first place we have stayed that really felt like a relaxing campground rather than a converted parking lot. 

The RV park was level and offered full hook-up with advertised 50 amp service.  However, we were only getting 30 amps from our site as were many others; so we had to alternate which air conditioner to run, as it would not support both simultaneously.  Our friendly Cajun neighbor said, “They don’t have good e-lek-tik here.”   Love the Cajun accent.  We picked Tombigbee State Park to rest over the weekend because it was on our way to Tuscaloosa, AL where we were headed to support my Mom for a heart procedure. 

Since the RV lifestyle kind of demands that you seek out what is interesting wherever you travel, we headed over to the Elvis Presley Museum since Tupelo is his birthplace.  Neither of us are big Elvis fans, but we learned a lot about how the King of Rock and Roll got his start.  After the tour, we headed over to Johnnie’s Drive-in for some lunch sine that is where Elvis ate.  It was good home cooking.

On Sunday, we headed over to Sunset RV Park in Tuscaloosa and checked in with Mom.  Her procedure was set for early Thursday morning with prep work in Birmingham, AL on Wednesday.  I worked from The Bus Mon-Wed and Pattie took our old beagle Sparky to a local vet to get a lump on her leg x-rayed and a mole taken off her eyelid.  She boarded Sparky there so we could get a hotel room in Birmingham Wednesday night to pre-position for the Thursday procedure.  Amongst this storm, my nephew Nathan flew in to Birmingham between Air Force assignments and was able to visit with his GranNan before she went in to surgery.  The surgery went well and we were able to bring Mom home Sunday.  Nathan had just finished basic training and was enroute to his first duty station in Wyoming.  He needed to buy a dependable car and in between all the other events, I went with him car shopping.  It was a praise for timing to work the way it did allowing me to help him in the purchase negotiations and share Air Force experiences.  

The storms continued into the following week when the veterinarian said that she was so concerned about the lump on Sparky’s leg that she would not recommend removing the eyelid mole and referred us to the Auburn University Vet School for specialist evaluation.  I worked all week from Mom’s house and we departed Friday to Maxwell Recreation Area on Lake Martin near Dadeville, AL.   We had reservations for site 54 on the water, but when we arrived we found a truck with an empty boat trailer parked directly in that spot (clueless or just self-centered?). 

We called the office and they said they would get in-touch with the owner.  We sat in the middle of the road for an hour with the generator running having lunch before a couple young ladies came up in a golf cart saying they could not reach the owner.  After some reasoned discussion with me mentioning “Tow Truck” several times, we got them to agree to allow us to swap reservations with someone else who was not coming in until later.   The lake was beautiful.  We swam every day and rented a boat after church on Sunday to ride around and look at all the lake homes.  Since our referral appointment for Sparky was not until Thursday, we stayed a couple more days with me working from The Bus and relocated to Auburn RV Park during lunch hour on Wednesday. 

This is our first time to stay at the Auburn RV Park south of Auburn, AL and it is very nice.  We have a level, shady spot right on a creek.  Well-maintained grass areas and full hook-up with cable is nice since the trees block the satellite signal.  We took Sparky to the Auburn University Veterinarian School where an amazing team of doctors and students ran all sorts of tests.  Then we received the call.  The doctors found numerous masses in her lungs…cancer.  Sparky is 13 years old and even with heroic type efforts; she would only have about 6 months to live.  We took her back to The Bus and have some medicines to help keep her comfortable.  We will monitor her daily and when she begins to have more bad days than good, it will be time to take her back for a final goodbye. 

“But as the thunder rolls

I barely hear You whisper through the rain

"I'm with you"

And as Your mercy falls

I raise my hands and praise the God who gives

And takes away”

Casting Crowns, Praise You in This Storm